Contemporary metadata principles and standards tended to result in document-centric rather than data-centric; human-readable rather than machine-processable metadata. In order for libraries to create and harness shareable, mashable and re-usable metadata, a conceptual shift can be achieved by adjusting current library models such as Resource Description and Access (RDA) and Functional Requirements for Bibliographic Records (FRBR) to models based on Linked Data principles. In relation to technical formats, libraries can leapfrog to Linked Data technical formats such as the Resource Description Framework (RDF), without disrupting current library metadata operations. This paper provides six key recommendations for libraries and standards agencies. These include rising to the challenges and embracing the opportunities presented by current technological trends, adopting minimal requirements of Linked Data principles, developing ontologies, deciding on what needs to be retained from current library models, becoming part of the Linked Data cloud, and developing mixed-metadata (standards-based and socially-constructed) approaches. Finally, the paper concludes by identifying and discussing five major benefits of such metadata re-conceptualisation. The benefits include metadata openness and sharing, serendipitous discovery of information resources, identification of zeitgeist and emergent metadata, facet-based navigation and metadata enriched with links.

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Linked data for libraries: benefits of a conceptual shift from library-specific record structures to RDF-based data models

The Semantic Web encourages institutions, including libraries, to collect, link and share their data across the Web in order to ease its processing by machines to get better queries and results. Linked Data technologies enable us to connect related data on the Web using the principles outlined by Tim Berners-Lee in 2006. Digital libraries have great potential to exchange and disseminate data linked to external resources using Linked Data. In this paper, a study about the current uses of Linked Data in digital libraries, including the most important implementations around the world, is presented. The study focuses on selected vocabularies and ontologies, benefits and problems encountered in implementing Linked Data in digital libraries. In addition, it also identifies and discusses specific challenges that digital libraries face, offering suggestions for ways in which libraries can contribute to the Semantic Web. The study uses an adapted methodology for literature review, to find data available to answer research questions. It is based on the information found in the library websites recommended by W3C Library Linked Data Incubator Group in 2011, and scientific publications from Google Scholar, Scopus, ACM and Springer from the last 5 years. The selected libraries for the study are the National Library of France, the Europeana Library, the Library of Congress of the USA, the British Library and the National Library of Spain. In this paper, we outline the best practices found in each experience and identify gaps and future trends.

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Current state of Linked Data in digital libraries

This paper summarizes new trends and advances in Knowledge Organization from the perspective of linked open data (LOD). Although this is particularly important to galleries, libraries, archives and museums, the so-called GLAM community, it is of more general relevance, and part of the value of LOD lies in its adoption beyond that community. LOD includes descriptive metadata and vocabulary encoding schemes that are being “skosified” (encoded in the SKOS format) or rendered in OWL (the web ontology language) and made available not only “on” the web, but “for” the semantic web. The paper highlights a few exemplary initiatives in the field. The paper also introduces the HIVE (Helping Interdisciplinary Vocabularies Engineering) framework and discusses the HIVE-ES (Espana) extension for Spanish language vocabularies, leading to a more global approach for linked open vocabularies (LOV).

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Linked data for open vocabularies and hive's global framework

This article introduces the concepts of linked data within the context of digital collections, outlines the rationale for beginning work in linked data for digital collections, provides an overview of a focused linked data project, discusses technologies adopted for transforming metadata into linked data, and reports lessons learned to date

Leading to Linking: Introducing Linked Data to Academic Library Digital Collections

The aim of this study was to explore the benefits and challenges to using Linked Data (LD) in Libraries, Archives and Museums (LAMs) as perceived by Information Professionals (IPs). The study also aimed to gain an insight into potential solutions for overcoming these challenges. Data was collected via a questionnaire which was completed by 185 Information Professionals (IPs) from a range of LAM institutions. Results indicated that IPs find the process of integrating and interlinking LD datasets particularly challenging, and that current LD tooling does not meet their needs. The study showed that LD tools designed with the workflows and expertise of IPs in mind could help overcome these challenges.

Understanding the Position of Information Professionals with regards to Linked Data: A Survey of Libraries, Archives and Museums

Eric Miller described what the concept of linked data is, practical applications for linked data space, and how libraries can contribute to linked data efforts. He defined linked data as the next phase of the World Wide Web. Whereas the Web made it possible to link and connect documents, linked data are leveraging the Web to connect data regardless of where those data reside. Miller suggested new opportunities for libraries to assist organizations with their information needs and to weave knowledge workers, library users, and librarians together in a new enterprise.

Micheline Westfall Recorder

Papers

Linked Data and Libraries